Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method for the production of an element subject to wear, such as a tool used for the crushing or for the abrasion of mineral substances, masses of building debris, metal waste or other similar treatments, and an element subject to wear obtained by said method.
The present invention also concerns an intermediate support structure used as a base in the preliminary production steps of the element subject to wear, and the core obtained with the temporary aggregation structure.
Description of Related Art
Several methods are known for the production of an element subject to wear, in which the element substantially comprises a metal matrix which confers great rigidity and robustness to the element, and one or more cores of ceramic material having a high resistance to abrasion.
One known method provides to make an element subject to wear by means of casting or centrifuging a molten metal material on an insert, or biscuit, made of ceramic material, disposed in a mold.
However, this type of known method does not allow to obtain elements having mechanical characteristics such as to be able to use in any application or sector, even those more exacting both in terms of stress, and also in terms of intensity and continuity of stress, and which require hardness, toughness and resistance to temperatures which cannot be obtained with the known methods.
Another known method provides to cast the molten metal material on a ceramic insert of metal oxide and/or metal carbide, which is preformed with a perforated structure made by sintering or heat pressure, so that, during the casting, the molten metal material can penetrate into the apertures and into the interstices of the insert itself.
This second type of method has, however, high production costs, in particular but not only, for the production and the pre-molding of the ceramic insert, which has to be sintered according to a desired form of use.
Moreover, since a sintering process is needed to keep the ceramic powders in a desired conformation, there is a limited possibility of molding the insert, so that conformations are made which are excessive or reduced with respect to the optimal.
This disadvantage brings, in some cases, an increase in production costs, and in other cases, a reduction in the good quality of the element made.
An element subject to wear is also known starting from powders, for the formation of titanium carbide using the heat of the metal material in the casting step of the matrix.